Michigan man who killed and dismembered woman gets 100-year jail term, victim's mom screams: 'You threw her out like trash'
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN: A Michigan man who was convicted of killing and dismembering a woman was sentenced to at least 100 years in prison. At the sentencing, the victim's mother while carrying her daughter's cremains shouted at him, "You threw her out like trash!"
The 30-year-old Jared Chance was first arrested on December 1 last year after his downstairs neighbor in his rental home in the 900 Block of Franklin Street SE in Grand Rapids detected a "strange smell" coming from their shared basement, after he discovered blood leaking from a tarp, according to MLive.
When police were called to the scene, they found a torso that was identified as belonging to 31-year-old Ashley Young. They also found her arms and legs in a cardboard box on a stairway landing, though her head, hands, and feet remain missing to this day.
During their investigation, detectives found that Chance and Young knew each other and that she was last seen with him late November 28 and early November 29 at Mulligan's Pub.
He was initially charged with mutilation of a body and concealing a death, though murder charges were also brought against him later.
Chance turned down a plea deal that would have made him eligible for parole after 31 years, according to the Associated Press, and instead chose to go on trial, during which the victim's mother, Kristine, detailed how he had feigned his innocence after her daughter's disappearance.
She recalled how she was supposed to meet Young in Kalamazoo on November 29 to co-sign the lease on her daughter's new apartment, and that after she never showed, she called Chance the next day and left him a message asking if he knew of her whereabouts.
Chance reportedly told her that Ashley left her phone at the lounge in Grand Rapids and had gone to pick it up before heading back to Kalamazoo. He also told her in multiple texts that he had just spoken to the 31-year-old and gave her fake numbers to call.
He was eventually convicted of second-degree murder and other crimes last month, and Kristine delivered a powerful victim impact statement during his sentencing hearing this past Thursday, October 11.
"Jared Chance, I hate you," she said. "I want to rip you limb from limb and discard you, just like you did to Ashley... You threw her out like trash and she was your friend. Why?"
Holding her daughter's cremains, she added, "If I want a hug, I have to hug a box."